Angler on a boat with an offshore casting rod bent hard on a fish

Understanding the Different Types of Fishing Rods

Walk into any tackle shop and you'll see hundreds of fishing rods: short and stiff, long and whippy, rods with tiny guides and rods with guides you could fit your thumb through. They all look similar, but each type of fishing rod is built for a specific job, and using the right one makes fishing easier, more fun and more successful.

This guide explains the different types of fishing rods and what they're used for, how to read the numbers printed on a rod, and how to choose the right rod for the way you fish, whether that's bream in the Swan River, tailor off the beach, snapper offshore or GTs on poppers.

Oceans Legacy Aurora Surf Heavy Spec and Ledge Spec fishing rods laid on a timber jetty

The Parts of a Fishing Rod

  • Blank: the tapered tube the rod is built on, usually graphite (carbon fibre), fibreglass or a blend. It decides most of how the rod feels and performs.
  • Guides: the rings along the rod that the line runs through. Quality guides (like Fuji's SiC and Alconite rings) stay smooth and don't wear or damage braid.
  • Reel seat: where the reel attaches. Its position (under or on top of the rod) tells you whether it's a spinning or baitcast rod.
  • Handle and grips: cork, EVA foam or carbon. A longer handle gives more leverage for casting and fighting fish.

How to Read a Fishing Rod: Length, Power and Action

Every rod has a few numbers printed just above the handle. Once you understand them, choosing a rod gets much easier.

Length

Length is about three things: casting distance, leverage and control. Longer rods cast further and keep line above waves, weed and rocks. Shorter rods are more accurate, easier to handle in a boat, and give you more leverage over a fish.

  • 6'–7'2": bream and finesse fishing from a boat, baitcasting, and jigging (5'–6'6").
  • 7'–7'6": estuary, general-purpose and boat fishing. The most common length.
  • 7'6"–8'6": egi (squid), popping and long-cast lure fishing.
  • 9'–14': surf, rock and land-based fishing, where distance matters most.

Power

Power is how hard the rod is to bend. It tells you what size fish, line and lures the rod handles. Power is shown as a word or letter (from UL for ultra light to XH for extra heavy), or as a line rating.

  • Ultra light and light: bream, whiting, trout and small estuary fish.
  • Medium light and medium: the all-rounders, for flathead, tailor, school mulloway and general estuary fishing.
  • Medium heavy and heavy: snapper, mulloway, barramundi and reef fish.
  • Extra heavy and up: jigging, popping, heavy reef fishing and GTs.

Action

Action is where the rod bends. It's the most misunderstood thing about fishing rods, and it matters.

  • Fast action: bends mostly in the top third. Crisp and sensitive, with a strong hook set. Best for soft plastics, blades and single hooks.
  • Moderate action: bends down into the middle. Casts further, and absorbs head shakes so treble hooks don't pull out. Best for hardbodies, poppers, bait fishing and surf rods.
  • Slow action: bends almost to the handle. Used for slow pitch jigging, some game rods and kids' rods.

The same power can make a very different rod depending on the action. A fast-action rod suits soft plastics, while a moderate-action rod of the same power is better for hardbodies and bait.

Line, lure and PE ratings

  • Line rating (in kg or lb, such as 2–4 kg) is the main line breaking strain the rod is designed for.
  • Casting weight (in grams, such as 5–20 g) is the lure weight the rod casts best. It's the most useful number for lure fishing. The sweet spot is usually in the middle of the range.
  • PE rating (such as PE1–2) is used on Japanese and saltwater rods, and tells you what size braid the rod suits.
  • Jig weight (such as max 200 g) is shown on jigging rods.

Types of Fishing Rods by Reel Type

The first way to sort fishing rods is by the reel they're made for.

Spinning rods

Spinning rods are the most common type of fishing rod in Australia. The reel hangs underneath, and the guides are larger at the handle end so the line can come off the spool in loops. They're easy to use, cast light lures and baits well, and suit almost every kind of fishing. If you're buying your first rod, it should almost certainly be a spinning rod.

Baitcasting rods

Baitcast rods have the reel on top, smaller guides on top of the blank, and a trigger under the handle for your finger. They're more accurate than spinning rods and give more control when casting heavier lures, fishing tight structure, or pitching and skipping lures under snags and jetties. They're popular for bream, barramundi, mangrove jack and bass. The Oceans Legacy Insight is an extra-fast baitcast series designed for creek, bay and inshore fishing, and the Oceans Legacy Insight BFS is made for ultra-light bait finesse fishing. The Shimano 26 Staaten and Shimano 22 Expride are also great choices.

For more, see our guide on how to choose the right baitcasting setup.

Don't mix them up. A baitcast reel won't work properly on a spinning rod, and a spinning reel won't work on a baitcast rod. The guides are completely different.

Overhead rods

Overhead rods also have the reel on top, and are built for heavy fishing: jigging, game fishing, deep dropping and bottom fishing. Many have a gimbal butt that sits in a rod holder or fighting belt. Overhead jigging rods give more direct lifting power than spin rods.

Fly rods

Fly rods are long and light, and are rated by line weight (wt) rather than kg. A 4–5 wt suits trout, a 6–7 wt suits bream, whiting and light saltwater, and an 8 wt is the saltwater standard. Most are 9' and four pieces. Try the Sage R8 Core or the great-value Redington Vice, or browse our fly rods.

Types of Fishing Rods by Use

The second, more useful way to sort fishing rods is by the fishing they're made for. Here are the main types, what they're for and the rods we use for each. We carry Australia's largest range of Oceans Legacy, Yamaga Blanks and Ripple Fisher rods, and a massive range of Shimano and Daiwa. Oceans Legacy is designed in Australia for Australian fishing, while Yamaga Blanks and Ripple Fisher are two of Japan's most respected rod makers, and all three hold their own at the top end of most categories.

Angler holding a black bream beside the river with a light estuary spinning rod

1. Bream and finesse rods

Typical spec: 6'6"–7'6", ultra light to light, 1–4 kg, 1000–2500 size reel.

The most refined rods in Australian fishing. Light, sensitive and crisp, for casting tiny lures and soft plastics at bream, whiting and other estuary fish. Good finesse rods weigh very little and have a soft tip that still recovers quickly. Many serious bream anglers carry two: a fast-action rod for plastics and blades, and a softer rod for hardbodies.

Browse our light and estuary rods.

2. Estuary and general-purpose rods

Typical spec: 7'–7'6", light to medium, 2–6 kg, 2500–4000 size reel.

If you can only own one fishing rod, make it one of these. A 7' 2–4 kg or 3–6 kg spin rod with a 2500–3000 reel handles bream, flathead, tailor, whiting, squid and school mulloway in the Swan and Canning, fishing off jetties and light boat fishing.

Our flathead and whiting guides have more rod suggestions for those species.

3. Egi (squid) rods

Typical spec: 7'9"–8'6", PE0.6–1, rated for size 2.5–3.5 squid jigs.

Egi rods are long and light with a crisp tip, designed to cast squid jigs a long way and give them the sharp jerks that make them dart. The Oceans Legacy Dream Cast Squid Seeker, Yamaga Blanks Mebius and Shimano Squirt Stick are the egi rods we use. See our egi rods and our squid jig guide.

4. Surf and beach rods

Typical spec: 9'–14', medium to extra heavy, moderate action, 5000–14000 size reel.

Long rods for casting baits and lures past the breakers. They have a long handle for two-handed casting, large guides so leader knots pass through, and a moderate action that loads up with a heavy sinker. There are two main types: lure rods (9'–11', for metals and minnows) and bait rods (12'–14', for holding heavy sinkers and big baits in the surf).

See our surf and beach rods and our beach fishing guide.

Angler in a harness fighting a big shark from the beach on a heavy land-based game rod

5. Shore casting, rock and land-based game rods

Typical spec: 8'6"–13', medium heavy to extra heavy, PE2–10, 4000–20000 size reel.

For casting lures and baits from rocks, groynes, jetties and ledges at bigger fish: tailor, salmon, tuna, mackerel, samsonfish, kingfish and sharks. You need length to keep your line off the rocks, and power to stop a big fish reaching structure.

Browse our shore casting rods.

Pink snapper lying on rocks next to a spinning rod, reel and hardbody lure

6. Boat, snapper and offshore casting rods

Typical spec: 6'6"–7'9", medium to heavy, PE1.5–4, 3000–8000 size reel.

Perth's offshore staples, for soft plastics, micro jigs and bait on pink snapper, dhufish, baldchin and other reef fish, plus casting stickbaits and metals at tuna, kingfish and mackerel. Snapper plastics rods are fast and around 7'–7'6". Bait rods are softer, so fish don't feel the rod when they bite.

Browse our offshore rods.

Angler on a boat holding a big trevally caught jigging offshore

7. Jigging rods

Typical spec: 5'–6'6", medium heavy to extra heavy, PE1–10, rated by jig weight.

Short, powerful rods for working metal jigs vertically under the boat, and lifting big fish up from deep water. There are two very different types:

For light jigging, the Oceans Legacy Origin Spin Jigger is a lightweight finesse jigging rod. Browse all jigging rods.

Angler on a boat with an offshore casting rod bent hard on a fish

8. Popping and stickbait rods

Typical spec: 7'6"–8'6", heavy to extra heavy, PE4–12, 8000–20000 size reel.

Long, powerful rods for casting big poppers and stickbaits at GTs, tuna and kingfish, and working them across the surface. They have a moderate action so they don't pull hooks out, and big guides and strong butts to handle a huge amount of pressure. This is where the premium rods really earn their keep: you're casting heavy lures all day, and then fighting a fish that wants to bust you on the reef.

9. Game rods

Typical spec: 5'6"–7', rated in IGFA line classes (15, 24, 37 or 60 kg).

Short, strong rods for trolling for marlin, tuna and other big game fish. Heavier game rods use roller guides to handle the heat and friction of long fights on heavy line. Try the Shimano Tiagra Hyper or browse our game rods.

10. Deep drop and electric reel rods

Very strong rods, often fibreglass or heavy composite, built to carry heavy sinkers and several fish up from 300 m or more on an electric reel. Try the Shimano Status Deep Drop or the Yamaga Galahad Electric. See our electric reel rods.

11. Travel rods

Travel rods break down into four or more pieces so they fit in a suitcase or backpack. Modern travel rods are very close to two-piece rods in performance. Try the Shimano 23 Revolution Travel, the Yamaga Blanks Galahad Travex, the Yamaga Blanks Early for Mobile or the Ripple Fisher Ocean Voyager GTXpedition. Browse our travel rods.

12. Kids' rods

Kids' rods should be short (under 6'), tough and forgiving, and come ready to fish. The Shimano Kidstix (5', 2–5 kg) is a great first rod. Browse our kids' rods.

Graphite vs Fibreglass Fishing Rods

  • Graphite (carbon fibre) is light, stiff and sensitive, so you feel more bites and cast further. Most modern lure rods are graphite.
  • Fibreglass is heavier and softer, but very tough and forgiving. It's used for kids' rods, some boat and bait rods, and heavy deep drop rods.
  • Composite rods blend the two, for a mix of sensitivity and toughness. Many good-value boat and beach rods are composite.

Higher-modulus graphite isn't automatically better. It makes a lighter, more sensitive rod, but also a more fragile one. How the blank is designed matters more than the number on it.

What Do You Get From a More Expensive Rod?

A budget rod will catch fish. A premium rod will:

  • Weigh less, which you'll notice after a day of casting.
  • Be more sensitive, so you feel more bites and catch more fish.
  • Have better guides that stay smooth and won't wear or cut braid.
  • Cast further and more accurately, thanks to a blank that recovers faster.
  • Last longer under heavy loads.
Angler casting a light game spinning rod from the bow of a boat on calm water

How to Choose the Right Fishing Rod

Ask yourself four questions:

  1. Where will I fish? River, beach, rocks, jetty or boat? This decides the length.
  2. What will I catch? The size and type of fish decides the power.
  3. Lures or bait? Soft plastics suit a fast action. Hardbodies, poppers and bait suit a moderate action.
  4. Spinning or baitcast? For most anglers and all beginners, spinning is the way to go.

Then match the rod with the right reel size and line. Our guide to the different types of fishing reels explains reel types and sizes. If you're still unsure, a 7' 2–4 kg or 3–6 kg spinning rod with a 2500–3000 reel is the best all-round rod for Perth. For an easy start, see our rod and reel combos.

Fishing Rod FAQ

What are the different types of fishing rods?

By reel type, there are spinning, baitcasting, overhead and fly rods. By use, the main types are bream and finesse, estuary and general-purpose, egi (squid), surf and beach, shore casting and rock, boat and offshore, jigging, popping, game, deep drop, travel and kids' rods.

What type of fishing rod do I need?

It depends on where you fish and what you're chasing. For most Perth anglers, a 7' 2–4 kg or 3–6 kg spinning rod covers estuary, jetty and light boat fishing. For the beach, go 10'–12'. For offshore, a 7' snapper rod or a jigging rod.

What is the best type of fishing rod for beginners?

A 7' spinning rod rated around 2–4 kg or 3–6 kg. It's easy to use, casts light lures and baits, and handles most species.

What's the difference between rod power and action?

Power is how hard the rod is to bend. Action is where it bends. A fast-action rod bends near the tip, and a moderate-action rod bends further down.

What length fishing rod should I get?

6'6"–7'6" for estuary, jetty and boat fishing, 7'6"–8'6" for squid and long-cast lures, and 9'–14' for the beach and rocks.

Is a spinning or baitcasting rod better?

Spinning rods are easier to use and better for light lures, so they're the choice for most anglers. Baitcasting rods are more accurate and better for heavier lures and fishing tight structure, but take practice.

Find Your Rod

We carry fishing rods for every kind of fishing, from kids' rods to game rods, including Australia's largest range of Oceans Legacy, Yamaga Blanks and Ripple Fisher. Browse all our fishing rods and our Oceans Legacy rods, or come and see us at Level 1/154 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, and pick one up in your hand. Call us on (08) 9389 1337. We fish with these rods ourselves and are always happy to help you find the right one.

Free shipping on orders over $150* (under 3kg, exclusions apply) Australia-wide.

— Compleat Angler Nedlands
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